Statue of the Comte de Rochambeau information

Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites
The Rochambeau statue in 2012
Location	Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′56.44″N 77°2′15.83″W / 38.8990111°N 77.0377306°W / 38.8990111; -77.0377306
Built	1902
Architect	Fernand Hamar (sculptor) L. Laurant (architect) Ferdinand Gaussen (stonework) Val d'Osne Foundry (founder)
Part of	American Revolution Statuary Lafayette Square Historic District L'Enfant Plan
NRHP reference No.	78000256[1] (American Revolution Statuary) 70000833[2] Lafayette Square Historic District 97000332[3] (L'Enfant Plan)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 29, 1970 (Lafayette Square Historic District) July 14, 1978 (American Revolution Statuary) April 24, 1997 (L'Enfant Plan)
Designated DCIHS	January 19, 1971 (L'Enfant Plan) June 19, 1973 (Lafayette Square Historic District) March 3, 1979 (American Revolution Statuary)

Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau is a bronze statue honoring Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, a French nobleman and general who played a major role in helping the Thirteen Colonies win independence during the American Revolutionary War. Rochambeau joined the French military as a teenager, participating in the War of Austrian Succession, after which he was promoted to colonel, and the Seven Years' War. During the war in America, Louis XVI asked Rochambeau to lead a force of 5,500 French soldiers to assist the fight against the Kingdom of Great Britain. He and George Washington later worked together in the successful siege of Yorktown. He led the Army of the North during the French Revolutionary Wars, but was arrested and almost executed during the Reign of Terror. His military rank was restored by Napoleon and Rochambeau died a few years later in 1807.

In the late 1800s, a plan was made to erect four statues in Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., honoring foreign heroes of the war. The second one erected would be the statue of Rochambeau. French embassy official Jules Boeufvé worked tirelessly to have the statue, a replica of the original statue in Vendôme, France, installed in Lafayette Square. Congress authorized the plan in 1901. The following year, sculptor Fernand Hamar's replica was delivered to the United States. A base with additional statuary was also installed.

The dedication took place on May 24, 1902, with thousands of invited guests and onlookers in attendance. Amongst those that spoke during the unveiling and dedication ceremony were President Theodore Roosevelt, French General Joseph Brugère, French Ambassador Jules Cambon, and members of Congress. After the festivities in Washington, D.C., the French delegation was taken on a train tour of places Rochambeau had spent time. A few years later, a commemorative book was written by De Benneville Randolph Keim, and given to people who were in attendance at the ceremony.

Since that time, the statue has often been cleaned to remove verdigris, but a portion of the inscriptions have faded due to weather. The statue rests on a tall base adorned with two figures: a woman depicting Victory who is holding a sword and two flags, and an eagle beside her. Rochambeau's statue is one of 14 American Revolution Statuary in Washington, D.C., that were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites the following year. In addition, the statue is a contributing property to the L'Enfant Plan and the Lafayette Square Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.